SIDH GOSHT

During Guru Nanak Dev Ji's third missionary travels he traveled north into the Himalayas. Guru Ji visited Jawalamukhi, Kangra, Riwalsar, Kulu, and Tibet.

On Mount Sumayr Guru Sahib Ji met a large number of ascetics who were the hermits known as Siddhs. They had cut themselves off from the rest of the world and had grown very old and wise as they meditated and contemplated. Their leader was Gorakh Naath and they possessed great occult powers and performed many miracles. Although very young compared to the Siddhs they non the less recognised in Guru Ji the divine light and received him with great courtesy.

The following is a composition called the Siddh Gosht or 'conversations with the Siddhas' that Guru Nanak Dev Ji wrote about his encounter with the Siddhs. It is a lengthy but masterful piece as Guru Sahib Ji answers the questions put to him by the Siddhs.

RAAMKALEE, FIRST MEHL, SIDH GOSHT ~ CONVERSATIONS WITH THE SIDDHAS:

ONE UNIVERSAL CREATOR GOD. BY THE GRACE OF THE TRUE GURU:

The Siddhas formed an assembly; sitting in their Yogic postures, they shouted, "Salute this gathering of Saints." I offer my salutation to the One who is true, infinite and incomparably beautiful. I cut off my head, and offer it to Him; I dedicate my body and mind to Him. O Nanak, meeting with the Saints, Truth is obtained, and one is spontaneously blessed with distinction. || 1 || What is the use of wandering around? Purity comes only through Truth. Without the True Word of the Shabad, no one finds liberation. || 1 || Pause || "Who are you? What is your name? What is your way? What is your goal? We pray that you will answer us truthfully; we are a sacrifice to the humble Saints. Where is your seat? Where do you live, boy? Where did you come from, and where are you going?Tell us, Nanak-the detached Siddhas wait to hear your reply. What is your path?"|| 2 || He dwells deep within the nucleus of each and every heart. This is my seat and my home. I walk in harmony with the Will of the True Guru. I came from the Celestial Lord God; I go wherever He orders me to go. I am Nanak, forever under the Command of His Will. I sit in the posture of the eternal, imperishable Lord. These are the Teachings I have received from the Guru. As Gurmukh, I have come to understand and realize myself; I merge in the Truest of the True. || 3 || "The world-ocean is treacherous and impassable; how can one cross over? Charpat the Yogi says, O Nanak, think it over, and give us your true reply." What answer can I give to someone, who claims to understand himself? I speak the Truth; if you have already crossed over, how can I argue with you? || 4 || The lotus flower floats untouched upon the surface of the water, and the duck swims through the stream; with one's consciousness focused on the Word of the Shabad, one crosses over the terrifying world-ocean. O Nanak, chant the Naam, the Name of the Lord. One who lives alone, as a hermit, enshrining the One Lord in his mind, remaining unaffected by hope in the midst of hope, sees and inspires others to see the inaccessible, unfathomable Lord. Nanak is his slave. || 5 || "Listen, Lord, to our prayer. We seek your true opinion. Don't be angry with us - please tell us: How can we find the Guru's Door?" This fickle mind sits in its true home, O Nanak, through the Support of the Naam, the Name of the Lord. The Creator Himself unites us in Union, and inspires us to love the Truth. || 6 || "Away from stores and highways, we live in the woods, among plants and trees. For food, we take fruits and roots. This is the spiritual wisdom spoken by the renounciates. We bathe at sacred shrines of pilgrimage, and obtain the fruits of peace; not even an iota of filth sticks to us. Luhaareepaa, the disciple of Gorakh says, this is the Way of Yoga." || 7 || In the stores and on the road, do not sleep; do not let your consciousness covet anyone else's home. Without the Name, the mind has no firm support; O Nanak, this hunger never departs. The Guru has revealed the stores and the city within the home of my own heart, where I intuitively carry on the true trade. Sleep little, and eat little; O Nanak, this is the essence of wisdom. || 8 || "Wear the robes of the sect of Yogis who follow Gorakh; put on the ear-rings, begging wallet and patched coat. Among the twelve schools of Yoga, ours is the highest; among the six schools of philosophy, ours is the best path. This is the way to instruct the mind, so you will never suffer beatings again." Nanak speaks: the Gurmukh understands; this is the way that Yoga is attained. || 9|| Let constant absorption in the Word of the Shabad deep within be your ear-rings; eradicate egotism and attachment. Discard sexual desire, anger and egotism, and through the Word of the Guru's Shabad, attain true understanding. For your patched coat and begging bowl, see the Lord God pervading and permeating everywhere; O Nanak, the One Lord will carry you across. True is our Lord and Master, and True is His Name. Analyze it, and you shall find the Word of the Guru to be True. || 10 || Let your mind turn away in detachment from the world, and let this be your begging bowl. Let the lessons of the five elements be your cap. Let the body be your meditation mat, and the mind your loin cloth. Let truth, contentment and self-discipline be your companions. O Nanak, the Gurmukh dwells on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. || 11 || "Who is hidden? Who is liberated? Who is united, inwardly and outwardly? Who comes, and who goes? Who is permeating and pervading the three worlds?" || 12 || He is hidden within each and every heart. The Gurmukh is liberated. Through the Word of the Shabad, one is united, inwardly and outwardly. The self-willed manmukh perishes, and comes and goes. O Nanak, the Gurmukh merges in Truth. || 13 || "How is one placed in bondage, and consumed by the serpent of Maya? How does one lose, and how does one gain? How does one become immaculate and pure? How is the darkness of ignorance removed? One who understands this essence of reality is our Guru." || 14 || Man is bound by evil-mindedness, and consumed by Maya, the serpent. The self-willed manmukh loses, and the Gurmukh gains. Meeting the True Guru, darkness is dispelled. O Nanak, eradicating egotism, one merges in the Lord. || 15 || Focused deep within, in perfect absorption, the soul-swan does not fly away, and the body-wall does not collapse. Then, one knows that his true home is in the cave of intuitive poise. O Nanak, the True Lord loves those who are truthful. || 16 || "Why have you left your house and become a wandering Udaasee? Why have you adopted these religious robes? What merchandise do you trade? How will you carry others across with you?"||17|| I became a wandering Udaasee, searching for the Gurmukhs. I have adopted these robes seeking the Blessed Vision of the Lord's Darshan. I trade in the merchandise of Truth. O Nanak, as Gurmukh, I carry others across. || 18 || "How have you changed the course of your life? With what have you linked your mind? How have you subdued your hopes and desires? How have you found the Light deep within your nucleus? Without teeth, how can you eat iron? Give us your true opinion, Nanak." || 19 || Born into the House of the True Guru, my wandering in reincarnation ended. My mind is attached and attuned to the unstruck sound current. Through the Word of the Shabad, my hopes and desires have been burnt away. As Gurmukh, I found the Light deep within the nucleus of my self. Eradicating the three qualities, one eats iron. O Nanak, the Emancipator emancipates. || 20 || (Source: http://www.info-sikh.com/PageGos1.html )